7 Years
by xdatenshibluex
Summary: "And maybe the truth is that I never stopped loving you at all." "You.. You loved me?" This is a story of Shikamaru Nara, Neji Hyuga, and a truth that took them collectively seven years to come to terms with. Maybe being geniuses wasn't quite as useful as they'd always been told.
1. Chapter 1

a/n: It's been ages but I'm finally back with a new fic! (I posted the first chapter of this story here years ago but deleted it awhile ago it because my writing style has developed and changed so the last one had just become an eyesore.) I actually wrote up the notes for this story almost (coincidentally) seven years ago. I just recently found said notes while going through some old notebooks and this idea still had me feeling a certain type of way so I finally buckled down and got to work on it. But seeing as how I'm a college kid with a mere couple of weeks until finals I can't make any sincere promises on what my updating schedule will look like. Reviews are always a good motivator though! Let me know what you think if you have the time and thank you in advance if you enjoy! :) (cross-posted on ao3)

* * *

Chapter Track: Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon

* * *

Traveling to Kirigakure was rarely anything short of treacherous. Treacherous was even almost a compliment, given that at least it left something to the imagination. Journeying to the village could be a suicide mission if you lost sight of your goal, and even shinobi who had grown up there risked getting turned around, lost and left for dead in the heavy mist if they didn't stay on their toes. On an average day, new chunin were not sent to carry out missions for other lands here, and heaven forbid anyone be heartless enough to send a genin. Shikamaru Nara and Neji Hyuga, however, were not your average, everyday shinobi.

"On your right."

Shikamaru looked, but through the mist he could hardly make out a thing. That was why having a Hyuga with you out here was a silver lining. Neji's warning was vague, though, and didn't save him from tripping over a thick branch, so how useful was he being, really? If scraped up hands and knees was the worst this mission left him with, Shikamaru knew he really couldn't complain much; he was going to, though, if only just out of spite.

He rose to his feet with a huff and stepped heavily on the curved branch, flattening it out. "Good riddance," he muttered before narrowing his eyes at Neji and saying, "Thanks for the heads up."

"In front of you."

Not the response he was expecting, and it took just half a second too long for it to process. A low hanging branch smacked him directly in the face. Startled and irritated, he reached out, grabbing the branch and using it to help him sidestep and avoid any others that might have posed an immediate threat. Neji's chuckle echoed through the empty air and Shikamaru just knew he was being taken for a fool. After all, the Hyuga wasn't one for public displays of amusement. That's what made the slight that much more unforgivable. So he released the branch. And while it didn't go far enough to smack the smug look off of his face (and even if it had, it still wouldn't have) Neji looked thoroughly insulted by the attempt and that was all Shikamaru could have hoped for.

(This was their seventh mission together in the last week two weeks. Shikamaru wanted to call the behavior they had begun to resort to a symptom of going stir-crazy from having to be around each other so much. Wanted to. But there was an unspoken underlying layer of fondness there that was mutual. Were they having fun? Were they clinically exhausted? It was hard to tell in this line of work sometimes. Maybe the mist was messing with their heads.)

"You're jeopardizing our teamwork," Neji tsked. He briskly walked ahead of him and Shikamaru couldn't help but to find it funny. The more time he spent with the guy the more Shikamaru grew to appreciate his humor. The fact that no one would believe him if he tried to share just made it funnier. He felt like he had joined some top-secret club of people who had seen Neji Hyuga in a genuinely good-natured good mood. It oddly felt like an impressive accomplishment.

Having probably expected Shikamaru to keep pace with their banter instead of contemplating his level and use of human emotion, Neji glanced back at him, eyebrow raised expectantly. A smirk and an ambiguous hum were all Shikamaru offered back. It was comfortable. But a more task-orientated matter was on the horizon now. He could sense it.

"Forty-five meters," Neji said, as if reading his mind.

Shikamaru took a thoughtful breath. It was a risk, for sure, going into Kirigakure with a Hyuga. Out here in the thick forest he was invaluable; inside the village he was more valuable dead. Kiri didn't take too kindly to kekkei genkai users, especially not from other lands. It could be seen as a threat of conflict, even war, and the two were not here to cause an international incident.

"Thirty meters."

Neji's voice was as even as ever, yet somehow Shikamaru could tell he was growing uneasy. This mission had been thrown together rather hastily and the two of them weren't even Tsunade's first choice, nor were they supposed to have been sent alone. Sometimes things had to be thrown together at the last minute when important matters presented themselves, but however necessary the decision, this was anxiety inducing for the two of them. Shikamaru still had doubts about leading missions. It didn't help that his comrade's life was in danger more so than usual on this particular one. They couldn't often allow themselves time to remember that they were just kids walking into all this, but sometimes, in the minutes leading up to conceivable disaster, the repression training just wasn't enough.

"Fifteen meters."

"How do you feel?"

He didn't avert his eyes from the path ahead of them. He heard Neji inhale but didn't hear him exhale. It carried more weight than words could. He wasn't scared, per say, but he most definitely was not at ease.

"Act natural. Do you trust me?"

"I do."

Their approach couldn't seem suspicious. Steady breaths, steady steps. The intensity and heaviness of the moment felt so disproportional that it was almost difficult to remember that they weren't doing anything more than just walking into a village with zero ill intent. As they approached what could just barely be made out as the front gates they shared a silent moment. No words, no eye contact, just a millisecond of pause and an understanding. The two guards at the gate were burning holes through them the second they caught sight of them, and Shikamaru knew he had to keep that silent promise to Neji. He was going to get him in and out of here with as little fuss as possible.

"State your purpose, please," the tall, bearded one commanded, making a point of placing himself directly in front of their path. He wasn't looking at them as a duo, though. He was making direct eye contact with Neji and he was clearly ready to take a more physical approach if they (Neji) didn't cooperate in a way he found satisfactory. The messenger pigeon must not have made it in time, just as they had feared. If they would have had warning of his presence, this would have been a much smoother interaction. But without being able to take explicit note of the arrival of a member of the Hyuga clan and without prior instruction, these guards weren't likely to just dismiss him.

"We're from the Hidden Leaf. We were sent by our Lord Hokage to pass on a message to Lady Mei. She's expecting us."

Shikamaru was perfectly spoken and both he and Neji stood at attention. He even brandished the scroll as proof of his words, and while the guards didn't look thrilled, they didn't have much of an argument to stand on either. The first guard sighed gruffly and nodded once in the direction of his colleague, "I guess that's that," and with a final suspicious up and down look, continued, "Accompany them."

Without a word, the second guard waved them forward and started walked immediately, leaving no room for any more talk. Or so they thought.

"You, Hyuga," he spoke about ten steps into their journey, "Keep your head down."

Shikamaru noticed the way Neji's lips pursed. His pride as a Hyuga wasn't often challenged back home. But if anything could be said, it was that he had gotten better at biting his tongue. Though curt, his reply was exactly what it needed to be.

"Understood."

The remainder of the walk to the center of the village was quiet and uneventful. The guard wasn't interested in making small talk and everyone who passed them, though visibly suspicious, let them go on their way without trouble. Even if the mist were to dissipate right then, the air would still feel smothering. The walk felt like it took a millennium.

The inside of the tower once they reached it was less stuffy but no more comforting. Their steps echoed off the walls all the way up the staircase and down the halls and there was just something about the sound that was anxiety inducing. It felt like they had a new mission. Stay quiet, hold your breath, just walk. So entranced by that mindset, it seemed unsettlingly abrupt when their guide stopped. Turning on his heel, he tapped his knuckles against the door without breaking eye contact with them, saying, "Lady Mei, some Konoha shinobi have arrived to speak with you." It was as if he were just waiting for them to cause a scene. Little did he know, Neji and Shikamaru were both looking forward to them leaving even more than he was.

"Come in!"

The door was opened for them and they both entered, bowing immediately to show their respect. Then Shikamaru got straight down to business.

"Our Hokage sent us to deliver this to you, as well as her thanks for the cooperation," he said, and Neji kept silent but watched him out of the corner of his eye. Shikamaru could feel his eyes on him, and it was somehow a motivation to him. He knew his aura changed when he was on a job. Enough people had pointed it out. It was born through a deep-rooted need to protect his teammates, and while he knew in most cases Neji was perfectly capable of holding his own, knowing that he was still looking to him for assurance was, well, assuring. While 'soft spot' wasn't quite what Shikamaru was comfortable calling it, he had developed a sense of attachment to Neji ever since his first mission as a chunin when they had all risked their lives to bring Uchiha's sorry ass back home.

Because Neji had almost died. Neji had almost died because of his negligence. And yet here Neji stood, still holding full faith in him like he had never almost signed his death certificate. It seemed almost blind of him to do so in Shikamaru's opinion, and he carried with him a sense of dread that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever let Neji down like that again.

What felt like minutes of musing were mere seconds and when the Mizukage spoke, it left Shikamaru dazed just a tad. He shook it off, handing over the scroll she was requesting and accepting her thanks. He wasn't quite feeling present in the moment anymore. He just wanted them to be dismissed.

Only a quick glance was offered to the scroll in her hand before she was looking up at Neji instead, a curious glint in her eyes.

"The Byakugan must be quite useful here."

"Oh," Neji was slightly taken aback by the sudden statement, but nodded, "Yes. It is."

She laughed softly, but it seemed lacking in any genuine humor. "I apologize for the reactions I'm sure it earned you here in our village. I assure you we're working on that."

"No need to apologize," Neji said, and Shikamaru didn't miss the tinge of awkwardness in the way he answered. A lot of their missions lately had taken on a common theme; when they were traveling to and from, it was comfortable, but the in between, the actual mission business has started to feel like nothing but filler that he wished they could skip through. He was beginning to think Neji was catching on to the pattern too.

As impatience began to make his skin crawl, he wondered what was going through Neji's mind.

"Well if that's all, you boys are dismissed. Be safe on your trip back."

The relief radiating off of both of them was almost tangible. They thanked her in unison, bowed once more and were quickly escorted back out by the guard who was still really unenthused by their continued presence. Personally, Shikamaru could feel his willingness to be pleasant draining right out of him and believed that the guy should just be happy they were itching to get the hell out of there. The man just motioned for them to follow him back down the stairs and there were no complaints. In fact, their feet seemed to carry them out of the village must faster than on the way in.

"Thanks, guys. Your mission is complete."

_Finally_.

One polite goodbye later and they were off back into the thick, foggy forest. The thought to stay the night in the village never once crossed their mind. Truthfully, the results were doubtful to be disastrous if they had chosen to, but it just seemed like more trouble than it was worth. They'd set up camp and they'd take turns keeping watch like they had done the night before and the night before that. Then they'd catch a boat back and continue on that schedule until they reached home. It was only hitting them now that it was over how downright ridiculous this really was. It was a distance of 90 hours between the two lands. It was, to be blunt, fucking exhausting, and even Neji, who took pride in taking on missions considered above his genin level status, seemed to be regretting taking on this mission. Shikamaru couldn't shake the feeling that his teammate was in distress as they made their way further away from the village.

"I think I've overused my Byakugan."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, concerned. Neji was typically pretty skilled in masking his discomfort. He had to be. Shikamaru was just as familiar with the routine of pushing through; it was a lot easier to ignore when they were still in the middle of their mission and he had to carry themselves accordingly, though. But now he could tell that the strain Neji felt was becoming harder to ignore.

He stopped suddenly and Shikamaru nearly ran into him. He heard the Hyuga exhale deeply and stepped forward in time to see him deactivate his Byakugan. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Shikamaru waited silently, not sure what Neji needed from him but ready to give it regardless. With his eyes screwed shut and his body swaying almost unnoticeably Shikamaru could tell how off balance he was and he reminded himself to stay alert while Neji tried to fight through the spell of dizziness. This wasn't a good time for them to forget where they were.

Feeling his anxiety grow, Shikamaru squeezed Neji's shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner and asked, "Hey, are you gonna be okay?" Neji didn't respond. He kept his eyes shut and his fists balled up at his sides and Shikamaru noticed a pattern to the way he was breathing and recognized it as a technique to ward off nausea. He was thankful that he had always had a keen sense in deciphering nonverbal cues (because Neji was prone to a lot of those, unwell or not.)

Neji's mouth opened as his hand raised, signaling that he was trying to say something even though no sound came out for a second. When he was able to speak what he said definitely didn't put Shikamaru at ease.

"I.. do not feel well."

"I can see that," Shikamaru said, though his tone was surprised. His brows shot up and he glanced around them, trying to make out.. anything. He squinted, irritated. This place was such a pain in the ass.

"I know it would be troublesome, but maybe we should stay in Kiri for the night. Better than you getting-"

Any interruption short of an ambush would have been slightly more welcome than Neji throwing up, but here they were. Luckily he had only made it a total of about three feet (Shikamaru wasn't even sure where he had been trying to go,) before he was on his knees. He wasn't hard to find.

"Sick," he finished the statement for no real reason other than maybe to give a metaphorical middle finger to the universe. Damn its irony. But he didn't have time to fixate on that now. A troublesome altercation on the way to Kiri had snapped Neji's hair tie, and because that was the worst of the damage done, it had gone mostly unnoticed. Now though, Neji was trying to hold all of his hair back with one hand, the other digging into the condensation-saturated dirt. With no thought needed, Shikamaru let down his own hair and pulled Neji's back, tying it up clumsily but meaningfully. He didn't really know what to do or say after that. He went to rub the Hyuga's back (that was something you did to comfort an ill person, he was fairly sure,) but it felt odd to do so, so it turned into him lightly patting his back instead. That also felt awkward and not all that helpful, so he stopped doing that, too, and instead chose to be of comfort by just being by his side.

After a few long minutes, Neji seemed to be recovering a little bit. He slumped back, resting his weight on his arms. If it were possible for Neji to look any more pale than he normally did, well, he definitely did. Shikamaru handed him an open water bottle and Neji accepted it gratefully. He sipped at it, and while even expressions could be hard to make out without a little extra effort out here in the mist, Shikamaru could tell how pensive Neji's was. He knew he was weighing pros and cons of different options, wanting to plan a course of action that would be both helpful to his wellbeing and not detrimental to their travel time or their nerves. While appreciative that Neji would think of him during a time like this, Shikamaru was much more concerned with his health.

"Don't think too hard about something that can't be helped, Neji," Shikamaru said, scratching his head. He wasn't used to his hair being down like this. "It makes sense for you to be exhausted. The fact that you even have any chakra left is kind of impressive on its own."

Neji chuckled, though unhappily. It wasn't hard to tell just how bad Neji was starting to feel. Shikamaru only sort of picked up on it earlier in the day. He had just had this air about him occasionally that hinted he may have been feeling a little under the weather. But Neji had been actively and obviously trying to push it down and ignore it, and Shikamaru hadn't wanted to patronize him. And while it had probably been easier when a clear goal had been in their reach, now all they had to look forward to was a long, tiring journey, and Neji's body didn't seem quite up for that challenge at the moment. He rubbed his eyes, blinking rapidly, and Shikamaru know his vision was probably blurring.

"What do _you_ want to do?" Neji asked, his thumb and middle finger rubbing the corners of his eyes.

With a tiny noise of contemplation, Shikamaru began weighing their options. They were a little ways away from the village now and going back would be a drag. Plus he wasn't sure Neji's body was up for carrying him too far at the moment. That cancelled out the idea of trekking any further, as well. So what was left?

Suddenly he stood, offering a hand to Neji. The older shinobi gave him a curious look but accepted the help, standing on slightly shaky legs. Neither of them had realized just how much his body did not want to cooperate. He tried to stand on his own but his legs nearly gave out. His chakra was running pathetically low and nothing would replenish it but rest. Shikamaru held onto his hand tightly, helping him hobble a few steps before he concluded this wouldn't do and had him wrap his arm around his shoulders instead. Neji made no fuss and asked no questions. Shikamaru figured he was just too tired to.

Shikamaru carried them both off the path as far as he thought was necessary before he gently deposited Neji on the ground against a tree, where he dropped his head back and let his eyes slip shut. Shikamaru let him start to drift off as he rummaged through their things, trying to set up a suitable little area for him to lie down comfortably for a bit.

"Lie down," he voiced once he was somewhat satisfied with his handiwork. Neji obeyed without question, feeling his way with his hands and Shikamaru's help. He didn't even bother opening his eyes to do so, so Shikamaru knew how far gone he was. When he curled up on the sleeping bag that had been laid out for him, Shikamaru covered him up and patted his shoulder.

"Rest. You need it."

Neji didn't need to be told twice, it seemed. He was out almost immediately. With a sigh, Shikamaru sat down beside him and leaned up against the tree, staring off into the distance and letting his eyes make out random shapes in the mist before he realized he didn't need to start feeling paranoid while he kept watch. Sighing again, he shut his eyes but focused on busying his mind. He was exhausted too, but he knew he wasn't nearly as exhausted as Neji was. However long Neji was out, however long he needed to be okay again, Shikamaru would stand guard. Peaking one eye open, he stared down at Neji, not being able to make out much more than his long, dark brown hair. It ate at him that he had started feeling so drawn to him. It was a feeling he was having trouble placing, but he smiled despite himself.

He fell back on an old technique they were taught in the academy for successfully keeping watch in situations like these: recall a certain memory and replay it in your mind, paying extra attention to detail and immersing yourself in thoughts as vivid as you could manage to reminiscence. Simple, time consuming, and could be used for either relaxation or emotional regulation training depending on how one chose to go about it.

Only once, though, did Shikamaru ever purposely try to take himself back to _that_ mission. He clenched his eyes shut tighter, denying the urge to look down at Neji again because he could feel the familiar guilt bubbling up and he knew better than to entertain it.

Instead he chose random memories from his childhood, to meeting his best friend to getting into trouble in the academy to that time he got scolded by his mother for falling asleep during a test. Somewhere down the line, though, his memories shifted to more recent ones- to ones of Neji and all the time Shikamaru had been spending with him. He didn't realize when he had started and didn't make much of an effort to stop the thoughts once they were there. Where could the harm be?

The harm, as it turned out, lied in the way it invoked a feeling of giddiness that he wasn't used to feeling. The Hyuga was just nice to be around. A couple years ago Shikamaru couldn't imagine thinking so, but how could Neji not grow on him with all the time they had spent together? That's how friendship worked.

He just wanted it to feel normal, but there were more confusing feelings just below the surface that he knew he didn't typically feel towards his friends. And as much as he wanted to lie to himself about them, he wasn't stupid. Suppressing it was the name of the game now, it seemed, because he wasn't going to fool himself into thinking any part of this situation would play out in his favor. He wasn't sure what he himself was; labels weren't really an interest of his. But he was sure that Neji would not be interested, and it's not like he was looking for anything anyway. And he probably wouldn't be for a long time.

Repression was just part of being a shinobi. Shikamaru really couldn't rationalize fretting about it too much.

From there Shikamaru's mind wandered every which way. Not all of them revolved around Neji but truth be told a good number of them did. He had completely lost track of time, numbed to the hours passing, when finally Neji was coming to beside him. He felt the shifting to his side and looked down, slowing opening his tired eyes. The mist was heavier than he remembered it being, but given the lack of space between them, Shikamaru could make out tired opal eyes blinking away sleep. He smiled.

"He finally wakes up," he mused teasingly. Neji's brow creased in discontent as he hoisted himself up into a sitting position, glancing around.

"How long have we been here?"

"Uhh," Shikamaru pretended to think, genuinely curious himself, "I lost track of time a while ago, to be honest with you."

Neji's expression softened. "I'm sorry."

Shikamaru dismissed his apology with a wave of the hand, "Don't be. I could tell how bad you felt. All that matters is how you're feeling now."

Sitting up, Neji rolled his shoulders, successfully popping both of them, then his neck. "I feel almost back to normal," he answered, sounding satisfied.

"Good," Shikamaru yawned, standing and offering a hand to Neji to help him up. Neji was able to get back on his feet, but he seemed hesitant.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Shikamaru answered in the affirmative but another yawn followed which didn't seem to leave the Hyuga feeling too convinced, "We don't have to keep going yet. You need to rest, too."

"We've barely made it away from the village," Shikamaru reminded him, "We didn't get far. We should probably push at least a little further." He could tell Neji was unconvinced so he softened his heavy eyes and gave the most reassuring smile he could muster, "I'll be fine. Trust me."

Even to himself, Shikamaru would deny that the smile Neji gave in return filled him with warmth.

The thoughts he had entertained while Neji was asleep weighed heavily on his mind now that his muse was awake. Shikamaru was thankful he could use his obvious fatigue as an excuse to not hold any extended conversation. But he knew better than to assume that was the end of it. They still had a long journey ahead of them with no company but each other.

Comfortable silence was only comfortable for so long.

Eventually though, their conversation picked up and resumed as normal. Shikamaru was able to push it all to the back of his mind and carry on like he wasn't feeling any type of way. He was relieved when night fell, though, knowing it was almost time to settle down for the night. He believed sleep would ease him. It was an uncommon predicament for him, having a problem but not an answer in sight. It was frustrating.

What good was being a genius if you still couldn't find the secret to turning off all those pesky, unwanted emotions?

Despite his growing desire to stop and rest, _Neji_ was the one who decided they had trekked far enough for the night. Still relying on him to be his eyes in the heavy mist, Shikamaru had stayed close and stopped when he stopped. "Is here good?" He felt the weight of Neji's backpack falling by his feet, though, and knew his answer might be irrelevant at this point. The hours Neji slept were all well and good, helpful in their own regard, but a few hours may as well have equated to a few minutes after the longwinded physical stress this mission had put him under.

Shikamaru couldn't particularly make out much. They were in a somewhat open space, big enough to set up their tent, and that was about all he could tell. Neji could see where they were, though, and Shikamaru trusted he knew what he was doing, so he didn't question him.

"Here's good."

The stress of sleep-deprivation was starting to become more troublesome to Shikamaru than the puppy love bullshit he couldn't get out of his brain. _Good_, he thought. _Tired_ was an emotion that he was very accustomed to. Tired was easy.

"Give me a minute. I'll have the tent set up."

Shikamaru didn't object. He'd help if he could see, but nightfall had changed wishful thinking into a full-blown lost cause. He could barely make out his own hands in front of his face now. He didn't think Neji was too fed up with his uselessness yet, though, which was comforting. So he plopped down on the damp ground, grimacing as he did so. The moisture seeped through his clothes and his only solace was knowing his clothes had been stained with far worse. There had been no bloodshed thus far so Shikamaru was counting his blessings. It was a minor bother. What bothered him more was the decision Neji voiced aloud while setting up their sleeping arrangement.

"I'll take first watch."

Shikamaru furrowed his brows and frowned in the direction of the voice. When he heard Neji snicker he remembered Neji could see the expression he was making so he let it fall. It was weird to Shikamaru, the way he was willing to give up sleep for the Hyuga. Sure, there was the obvious reason that navigating in the morning rested solely on Neji's shoulders and if he wasn't well rested they were well and truly fucked. But that hadn't been the reason why Shikamaru reacted, and he felt foolish trying to lie to himself and say that it had been.

When Neji spoke again, his tone was more serious, eager to convince, "I've already taken my break. You're just as vital to this mission's success as I am."

Shikamaru almost snorted.

"You can't function on any less sleep than you're already getting."

"I beg to differ," Shikamaru joked. He couldn't see Neji's eyes but he could _feel_ them and he knew the look was one of judgement. He laughed. "Alright. You win."

He heard the zipper of the tent and what sounded like Neji crawling inside, then a hand tapping on the floor of it, "All set."

Making a face, Shikamaru positioned himself on his hands and knees and started crawling, knowing the tent was a foot or two away at most. The moist ground felt disgusting and he knew he looked silly, and when he heard Neji laugh his face darkened.

"Is this funny to you?"

"A little bit, yes," Neji admitted, not even trying to mask the amusement in his tone.

"The things you find funny, I swear," Shikamaru huffed, "You should really work on your sense of humor."

"That's hilarious coming from you, you know," Neji quipped back, reaching out and startling Shikamaru when he grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer to his destination, having apparently grown bored of watching him struggle.

"Hilarious, huh? See, you're just proving my point."

This was just sleep deprived banter, they both knew it. But it was lighthearted and it felt right, and once he was in the tent and had it zipped up he could almost see properly again and the first thing he saw was Neji's smile. He wasn't expecting it and it made his heart pound so hard his chest physically ached. Though he knew it impossible, for a split second he worried Neji could _hear_ it.

He had kept this growing affection he felt towards the other bound and locked up so well for the last few days. Why was the universe against him all of a sudden? He was tired of battling with it, and he was starting to worry it was a tired that sleep couldn't fix anymore.

There was a tired sleep _could_ fix, though, and with a yawn Shikamaru was starting to succumb to it. He laid out his sleeping bag, but instead of getting into it he just laid face down on it.

"Shikamaru," Neji said incredulously. Shikamaru tried to wave him off dismissively but in truth just flapped his hand melodramatically in his general direction. Neji laughed.

"Get in your sleeping bag and get some rest," he instructed, and without much thought Shikamaru huffed and obeyed. Tsking, Neji said, "So dramatic. I'm looking out for you, you know."

Shikamaru wondered whether he had ever fallen asleep with a smile on his face before as he did just that.

He awoke hours lately, warmer than when he had fallen asleep and feeling an overwhelming sense of peace. It took him a few seconds to remember he was in tent in foreign territory. Slowly he sat up, rubbing his eyes and looking around. He knew right away Neji was surely sitting right outside the tent, standing guard. His unkept emotions whispered about how Neji was doing so caringly, as if it wasn't just a common, expected practice to protect your comrades. Rolling his eyes at himself, he sat there for a good five minutes thinking about how tired he still was before he found the motivation to relieve Neji of his duties so he could get some much-needed rest as well. He quietly unzipped the tent and crawled an inch or two until he could peak his head out to look at his teammate. With his eyes better rested, he could see a bit better. It wasn't much, but it was something. It was enough for his eyes to feel blessed.

Sitting there, bundled up with his hair pulled back, looking tired but alert, was Neji in all his post-midnight glory.

They met eyes and smiled tiredly at one another, and perhaps held that contact for a bit too long. A very intense, almost magnetic aura was crackling between them almost immediately. Even in the dark, foggy wasteland that was the outskirts of Kiri, there was something riveting about this moment. A spark of something neither were familiar with. Shikamaru stared out into nothingness and Neji's eyes followed. He knew Neji could see everything he couldn't, and for some reason that fascinated the Nara's drowsy senses. When Neji turned those eyes back on him, he felt like a deer caught in headlights.

The silence was intense and suffocating, but also enthralling. It was like all the extended time they had spent together had been building up to this without either of them being any the wiser, thoroughly blind sighting them both. It felt like a punch in the gut but in a good way, if there were such a thing.

(Or was it just him? That was what Shikamaru feared.)

He never did figure out who leaned in first, but he would be telling himself for weeks afterwards that it had been his own hastiness to blame. Neji's lips were as soft as his hair where Shikamaru's fingers had woven themselves into without thought. He could feel the clumsiness of his own chapped lips but let the thought pass, losing himself in the rush of intimacy. (Shinobi were all too familiar with he concept of death, but was this what being _alive_ felt like?)

It felt like both seconds and minutes had passed in the same time span and he couldn't be sure how long it had actually lasted. He didn't know who had pulled away first but both possibilities left him with a lump in his throat. Ultimately, regardless of who was to blame, when they were separated and looking each other dead in the eye, neither of them had the courage to break the silence. With mouths ajar and eyes blinking in shock and confusion, the silence surely lasted longer than the kiss did.

Breathlessly, Neji swiped his thumb over his lip after a long moment and exhaled a breath that almost sounded like a laugh. Shikamaru mirrored this response without meaning to and looked away, only to look back a second later to see Neji looking right at him. It shook him to his very core trying to decipher what emotion he saw in his eyes. Neji was trying to get words out, but he only managed to mouth the word _what _before cutting himself off, looking away and staring off into the distance.

Questioning his life choices, Shikamaru was sure, probably wondering how to make it clear that that was _never_ to happen _ever_ again.

Despite looking directly at him Shikamaru had spaced out and didn't realize his gaze was being met until Neji spoke his name. Despite trying to reign in his emotions, he was visibly startled by the sound of it coming out of a mouth that had just been against his own.

"There has been something unspoken between us for a little while now," Neji told him, "I tried not to jump to conclusions, but I…" He paused. He was obviously trying to compose himself, leaving Shikamaru bracing himself for bad news. When it didn't come, though, and when Neji laughed softly (and nervously, if he dared say so) Shikamaru only felt more shaken, more confused.

"I thought I was losing my mind, thinking there was something between us," Neji said, and Shikamaru couldn't say he had ever seen the Hyuga in such a state of self-consciousness or hesitancy before, "But you felt it, too."

Shikamaru let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Almost gasped it out, in fact. In milliseconds it felt like the entire weight of the world had lifted off of his shoulders and he felt like the anxiety was quite literally deflating his body. His shoulders untensed and he tilted his head to the side, nervous laughter once again bubbling to the surface. He opened his mouth to speak but froze, failing to find words to properly describe how he was feeling. He probably looked ridiculous and god he couldn't remember the last time he had actually blushed over _anything_ but Neji's eyes intently watching him was like fuel to a fire.

"I thought _I_ was going crazy," he finally managed to say, rubbing the back of his neck. Neji didn't respond and it didn't take long for Shikamaru to realize he was staring at his lips. Upon realizing he had been caught, Neji's eyes trailed up to look him in the eye, but drifted back down quickly, unable to push what was on his mind back out.

"Don't make me ask you to," Neji said. There was a hint of authority in his tone that really cemented Shikamaru's inability to ponder consequence.

Grabbing Neji's shirt to pull him back in wasn't a conscious decision, either. Neji didn't seem to have any complaints, though, as he placed a hand on the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. Shikamaru felt all of those pent-up emotions he had been wrestling with melt away under Neji's touch. It was such an overwhelming sense of warmth Neji was instilling in him. Foreign, thrilling and not at all a feeling Shikamaru expected to receive from Neji Hyuga of all people.

This time it was for sure Neji who pulled away first. He laid his head in the crook of Shikamaru's neck but didn't let go of him. At first Shikamaru was concerned that the confusing emotions they were both being bombarded with tonight might have been overwhelming the Hyuga, until he realized it was god knows when at night and Neji was probably dying to switch shifts and get some sleep.

"Hey," he murmured, wiggling to shake Neji into sitting up. Raising his head, Neji blinked his tired eyes and smiled unsurely, brows creased. Something unsaid hung in the air between them. Shikamaru knew exactly what was on his mind, too.

_When the sun comes up, are we going to pretend this never happened, or…?_

"We'll talk," Shikamaru assured him, "Tomorrow. Sleep."

Under his urgings, Neji conceded. They shared nothing more than a long look into one another's eyes before Neji crawled into the tent and almost immediately collapsed. Shikamaru took his previous spot to take watch but couldn't help but glance back into the tent about three minutes later to find Neji already passed out.

Shikamaru would spend the remainder of the night trying to ignore the gnawing suspicion that this whole thing had been born out of Neji's sleep deprived state.

It was barely five hours until the sun rose enough over the horizon that Shikamaru started to contemplate waking his comrade. They would need to pack up and head out soon.

He peeked into the tent to see Neji already stretching himself conscious. Without thought he crawled in. Neji opened one eye mid-yawn to watch him do so. The first few seconds of eye contact after that were admittedly a bit awkward, but the foggy sunlight streaming in through the unzipped tent highlighted the positive. Neji looked absolutely gorgeous in the early morning light.

"Man," Shikamaru chuckled suddenly, shaking his head, "What are we getting ourselves into?" Neji didn't need to ask for clarification, already on the same page and replying without missing a beat.

"I thought we were supposed to be geniuses," he scoffed.

"Guess it could only get us so far, huh?" Shikamaru smirked, rolling up his sleeping bag.

They packed quickly and efficiently and stayed mostly quiet throughout. Shikamaru longed to get going, but only so he could see how much the events from last night had affected their companionship. He yearned to know that their banter hadn't already grown awkward or forced. Thankfully, their repartee begun again before they even left their campsite.

The only difference was the added layer of obvious flirting.

"You've gotta get more sleep tonight," Shikamaru said "I swear, your self-care has been lacking on this mission. Stop worrying about me so much."

"Take better care of myself or what? You'll kiss me again?"

"I mean, if that's the only excuse I've got."

"Do you really think you need one?"

"Ae you telling me I don't?"

Their teasing was good natured but the feelings just below the surface were raging. And every time it seemed like one of them might make some kind of move, they just made another sly comment and successfully beat around the bush for another round in their back and forth. It started off as game, but it quickly grew frustrating.

"Tell me how you really feel," Shikamaru said. It took Neji a moment to realize he wasn't joking.

Silence befell them for a long moment as they both pondered where to go from here. Their steps fell into sync. It was somehow unnerving.

"Is there ever an appropriate time for shinobi to realize they've developed feelings for a comrade?"

Shikamaru couldn't be sure whether Neji was musing on that concept as a whole (and how bad of an idea it tended to be) or still talking specifically about the two of them. So he stayed quiet, kept his hands in his pockets, and just waited for Neji to get through his whole thought process. But he fell silent, too.

It was foolish to be hopeful. Falling in love in this line of work was always, without fail, traumatic in one way or another. Even if your partner came back from every mission unscathed, there would always be that underlying fear that next time they wouldn't be so lucky. Nothing was ever certain; tomorrow was never promised. It was stupid to promise your heart to someone when there was a very real possibility it wouldn't still be beating by nightfall.

Shikamaru didn't typically amuse such dark thoughts, but he had gotten to thinking through the night as Neji slept. They were shinobi, they were soldiers, they were pawns in the bigger picture, and it wasn't morbid to them it just _was_. This was the plane they existed on.

How could romance fit into a lifestyle like theirs?

Logically, Shikamaru knew that if he lived long enough it was inevitable. It was human nature to love. But he didn't think it would even be a consideration until much later down the road when he had things a little more figured out than he did right now. And the object of his affection being a male from the Hyuga clan also posed its own unique obstacles.

He couldn't deny how he felt about Neji, though. At least not subconsciously.

Subconsciously, he was trying to find a way to keep this going.

"What is your gut instinct telling you to do?" Shikamaru questioned, keeping his eyes trained ahead of them. What little he could make out distracted him from the anxiety burning in this pit of his stomach.

"Is this an interrogation?" Neji seemed almost amused when he asked. Shikamaru wasn't even surprised. The way he was questioning Neji while keeping his own feelings stifled until he got answers might not have been fair.

"Mine is telling me that I'm an idiot," he said. He wanted to stop walking, to face Neji, but he just couldn't, "Because I want this to be something that it probably can't be, and I can't even manage to lie about that."

He heard Neji sigh from beside him and say, "I feel that way, too."

Stupidly, Shikamaru found some sense of delight in his reply.

Despite still being without a solid answer, the knowledge that they were both on the same page eased them both enough so that the next few minutes of silence didn't feel quite as heavy. It stretched out, and eventually Shikamaru couldn't help but to break the silence and the seriousness.

"This is such a drag. And it's your fault."

"Don't start with that," Neji scolded lightheartedly. Shikamaru knew he was referring to his usual word play.

"I don't want to hear it. You know just what kind of pain in the ass I am. You chose this."

"I wouldn't say I _chose_ this," Neji said, glancing at him, "But that's not to say I wouldn't."

(Shikamaru never would have pinned Neji as the smooth type but he was surprising him more and more every day.)

Trying to keep his expression neutral, Shikamaru said, "I say… We let whatever this is run its course. And if we haven't figured things out by the time we get back to the village, that's a problem for then."

"Typical," Neji chuckled, "Putting even _this_ off for a later date."

"Yeah, you ready to commit to dealing with something like _that_ every day?" Shikamaru couldn't help but to smile. He was filled to the brim with a lot of very weird emotions right now and he didn't know what to do with any of them. His chest ached with a sort of excitement he wasn't sure he had ever experienced in his life.

"I guess we'll find out."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Track: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day

It wasn't until some ungodly hour of the night that the pair finally saw home in the distance. Chilly rain had started to sprinkle from the dark, thundering clouds overhead and did a decent job at covering up how they were both exhausted near tears. It left them shivering, though, so the comfort it brought was short-lived. As they approached the gates of the village they barely paid mind to the one-man watch team, gesturing at him vaguely in greeting. They hadn't even exchanged words between _each other_ in quite a while. Their feet were dragging at this point. Shikamaru was desperate for a real meal and a hot shower but he knew better than to think he would do anything but pass out in bed when he reached home. Glancing over at Neji, disheveled and grimacing, he could only guess he felt the same.

It had been fun until it wasn't. While they had been enjoying each other's company immensely, time started to drag on as they got closer to home. The physical strain had led to mental strain, and any feeling that wasn't linked to the pain, the stress, or to finally completing their mission got pushed to the backburner. And while Shikamaru would have loved to do a little more back and forth before they parted ways, he was just too tired.

Their respective clan compounds were in the same direction up until a fork in the road that was already in view. Shikamaru didn't miss the way they both seemed to instinctively slow their steps. It could have just been the exhaustion. He just wanted to go home. He just wanted to sleep. When they got to where they had to split paths, though, his feet failed him, refusing to carry him further until he looked Neji's way.

Neji turned fully to face him. Even with his hair a mess and his eyes darkened with fatigue, Shikamaru couldn't help but to want to kiss him. He took a step closer. The rain fell just a tad bit harder. And without thinking, as if they were long-term lovers parting only until dawn break, they pulled each other into a sleepy, clumsy kiss. When they parted from each other they also parted ways, neither another word nor glance between them.

It left Shikamaru alone with his thoughts on the rest of his trek home.

When he had suggested they let whatever was between them run its course, he had assumed they were just a couple of stupid kids getting temporarily carried away with their emotions. Neji could have confessed to being head over heels in love with him that night in the Kiri wilderness and Shikamaru still wouldn't have been able to convince himself that he meant it or that anything would actually come of it. Trying to unravel his emotions while already fighting to stay conscious was proving more trouble than it was worth. It was a problem to deal with after approximately twelve hours of sleep.

The closer he got to home the easier it was to clear his mind. He passed out on the couch in the day room only seconds after he got there.

When he awoke in his room close to 3:00pm, he didn't remember how he had gotten there. He assumed one of his parents had shooed him up the stairs sometime earlier when he was too tired to realize it. He lazed about for another hour before he was being shooed back _downstairs_ for food. It was a rare occasion for his mother not to be nagging at him; successfully completing a big mission was normally the recipe for peace and quiet at home.

His father recited Lady Tsunade's words about how well Shikamaru and Neji had done and how they had impressed the Mizukage. His mother talked his ear off, but in good nature, fussing over what a fine chunin he was turning out to be. With his chin resting on his arms on the table, he scoffed to hide a smile. It had been a productive mission, hadn't it? In more ways than one.

The more awake he became, though, the more the anxiety grew. What would happen now that he and Neji were back home? After a real meal and a full night's sleep, there was absolutely nothing left he could blame his actions on should he repeat them. There were no more stir crazy, sleep deprived excuses to give, from either side, and that shot Shikamaru's nerves right through the roof and beyond. Not enough to overpower his still very present fatigue, however. Halfway through falling asleep at the table his mother announced that someone was at the door for him. Deep down inside he wanted to cry at the mere thought of having to do absolutely anything today.

But then he heard his voice.

Anxious anticipation bubbled up sickeningly in the pit of his stomach as he got up and walked to the door. What in the world was he supposed to say? Why in the world was the guy even _here_?

And why did his worries melt away as soon as Neji's eyes lit up upon seeing him?

"I need to talk to you. It's about the mission," he said, though Shikamaru could tell Neji wasn't disclosing the full reason for why he had shown up at his door, "Come walk with me."

So Shikamaru did. It was quickly cleared up that the logistics were not the mission-related matter Neji had in mind. No, it was them Neji wanted to talk about. He played nonchalant, like he wouldn't care either way the coin flipped, or like this was all just a riddle he wanted solved already so he could move on with his day. But Shikamaru knew.

He wouldn't have come if he didn't care.

Truth be told, Neji was quite an emotional person. Shikamaru had him pinned down on that since he met the guy during the chunin exams. But for the longest time, the emotion he wore on his sleeve the most was anger. Now though, in the midst of Neji's ongoing personal growth, he had softened. But only in good ways.

But Neji had been hurt an insurmountable amount in his life and Shikamaru didn't want to be another reason why. So where _did_ they go from here?

(Things couldn't go back to normal now. Not with the way they looked at each other. They both realized that.)

The same unmistakable spark was still between them. It was almost frightening. All he had to do was look into Neji's eyes to know he was just as lost, yearning but wary of the consequences. Shikamaru didn't want to let him- or himself- down. He felt disturbingly out of his element here.

"Dammit, Hyuga, you've got me all screwed up, you know?"

"I was about to say the same to you."

They walked and talked for almost four hours about everything and nothing, and in truth it was the kind of intimate conversation that Shikamaru typically tended to avoid if he could. (And they didn't figure out a damn thing, despite it all.) With Neji, though, he couldn't seem to run out of things to say. And when their time together seemed to be coming to an end, Shikamaru felt his heart strings tugging uncomfortably, urging him to say something that would make Neji stay.

Neji wasn't the type to shirk his responsibilities, though, and Shikamaru wouldn't ask him too.

But parting left an uncomfortable emptiness in the pit of his stomach. Shikamaru was not the most social of people, so loneliness wasn't really an emotion he was well acquainted with. He quickly decided, though, that he was not a fan.

When Neji showed up at his window two days later he figured he wasn't much of a fan either. ("You keep showing up. Miss me that much?" "Oh please. If I waited for your lazy ass to come to me I wouldn't see you for weeks." "Touché. Not true, FYI. But touché.") Neji explained to him how he hadn't wanted to disturb his family this early in the morning, but he had no qualms about disturbing Shikamaru.

Shikamaru somehow found it endearing.

The outcome sat so well with them both that Neji's spontaneous visit became a newfound habit and soon it had reached its three-week mark. Shikamaru typically liked to sleep in every chance he got but in the wake of this plot twist he had started going to bed earlier in order to wake up earlier—sometimes long before Neji even arrived. It was strange behavior for him, but what was more out of the ordinary was how natural it felt, and how content he was to do it.

Today, though, Shikamaru's laziness returned to him full force and with a vengeance. It had been long enough since they had started playing this game that today Shikamaru figured it was about time to make Neji really work for it. A test, if you will. He was awake but still drowsy, sitting in bed with his back against the wall, arms crossed comfortably over his chest. He had left the window open for him.

Neji showed up just as he knew he would and when he heard him letting himself in he cracked on eye open, watching him. He smiled.

"How about instead of walking, which is a drag, you just lie down so I don't have to get out of bed," Shikamaru suggested, already letting his eye fall shut again. He felt Neji grab his wrists, unhooking his arms so he could grab his hands and try to haul him up.

"You think I'm going to let go of the satisfaction of being able to get you out of bed?" he asked, tugging, albeit gently, "No. Get up."

Despite Neji's best efforts, Shikamaru made a face, almost akin to a pout and flopped sideways, going limp in Neji's grip and making it clear that he didn't want to venture out of his room quite yet. The noise Neji made in response had Shikamaru smiling to himself. He knew Neji liked this routine they had picked up and that he was completely trashing it. But riling him up was starting to become funny to him. He liked knowing he could get a reaction.

"Alright, fine," Neji sighed good-naturedly, "We'll do this your way."

Shikamaru kept his eyes shut, trying to fight off another smile as he felt Neji crawl into his bed beside him. He rolled over and opened his eyes to see Neji smirking at him.

"Yes?" Shikamaru asked, his tone almost teasing. Neji looked like he wanted to say something for a moment but stopped himself and just gave Shikamaru a little smile. He looked like he was thinking hard about whatever it was but trying to hold his tongue and Shikamaru wasn't quite able to pinpoint what exactly it could have been.

"Okay, I'll bite," he said after a long moment, amusement evident, "What's on your mind?"

Neji chuckled, "This might be a bad idea. If I stay like this I'm not going to want to leave."

Shikamaru raised a brow, "Well, lucky for you, I already don't want you to leave."

Neji gave him a long, meaningful look that sent a pleasant shiver throughout his body. Neji didn't even need the Byakugan to see right through him. It was oddly exhilarating. Neji reached for him first but Shikamaru wasted no time in returning his sentiment. With one hand on his neck and the other on his chest and with Neji's fingers already tangling themselves in his hair, Shikamaru was definitely starting to pat himself on the back for choosing to be extra difficult this morning. He pulled Neji closer to him by the front of his shirt, sighing against his mouth when the other bit his bottom lip and tugged at it. They'd both definitely been getting bolder lately. But neither of them ever _really_ had the upper hand.

(They liked it that way.)

Shikamaru nipped Neji's bottom lip right back and it got him pushed up against the wall, much to his delight. In return it earned the Hyuga a hand in his shirt, scratching down pale skin. With an intense shiver, Neji sighed, "This is what I meant. About this being a bad idea." He laughed under his breath, kissing the side of Shikamaru's mouth. "This could be a _really_ bad idea."

Shikamaru opened his eyes, dragging his nails down Neji's chest once more, but gentler. Neji quivered again and Shikamaru sighed in elation. But god, Neji was right. This was a terrible idea. Both of his parents were downstairs and nobody but the two of them knew that anything at all was going on between them. It hadn't been discussed in a while what they actually planned to do. They had just been enjoying each other—with a special emphasis on making sure they didn't fall in too deep. And if they were honest with themselves, this kind of intimacy was probably pushing that boundary a little too far.

They already didn't know if things could ever go back to normal. If this went any further they would just have to throw any hope for future normalcy out the window entirely.

The next few moments went by quietly. Neji still had a hand on Shikamaru's neck, eyes shifting between his lips and his eyes, whereas Shikamaru had yet to remove his hand from Neji's chest. The shared touch was a comfort for them as they sat and wondered to themselves where to go from here. As embarrassing as it was for him, Shikamaru had almost been able to convince himself lately that maybe they had both just fallen victim to their hormones and that this was all just a little misadventure they'd refuse to talk about for the next few years. That would have been the easy way to feel. Easier in comparison to the truth. Because with Neji still inches from his face, touching him more gently than he thought Neji could ever be, he knew he would have been content to never let him go.

"Shikamaru," Neji said softly. His tone made something in the Nara's chest ache, especially when Neji avoided his gaze. Neji sighed, "Shikamaru, I think we need to talk about-"

The creak of the stairs silenced them both instinctively. The shout from Shikamaru's mother that followed was enough to make them both flinch. With no time for a game plan, Neji moved, scurrying clumsier than he normally prided himself on being right out of Shikamaru's bed. He moved to the window, straightening his hair and sitting on the sill, trying to look natural. Shikamaru was a little behind, fanning his face knowing full well it was probably still a nice hue of pink from previous activities. When a figure appeared in the doorway, it wasn't Yoshino like they were expecting. Instead, it was Shikaku, and it didn't take a genius to notice he was perplexed by what he was seeing.

"Shikamaru, your mother wants you to come down for breakfast already," Shikaku said, though he didn't even pay more than a glance to his son. He was more interested in the extra presence Neji was providing. "And good morning, Neji," he said politely, nodding once at him. It wasn't that he seemed particularly bothered, but suspicious for sure. Neji bowed back politely and Shikaku nodded once more, contemplated something for a moment, then said, "You're more than welcome to stay for breakfast if you want to."

"Oh," Neji was surprised, glancing at Shikamaru for help in responding. Shikamaru, though, had also momentarily lost his voice. Shikaku most definitely noticed. "I would appreciate that, thank you," Neji said suddenly, his polite smile stuttering ever so slightly. Shikaku returned the smile, but it wasn't much less awkward.

"We'd be glad to have you," he said before turning his attention back to Shikamaru, "Up. Come on. If I'm gonna get nagged at today so are you."

He shut the door as he left and a heavy silence befell them. It was only broken by Shikamaru's distressed groan as he flopped backwards a moment later. Neji knew what he did. He could tell because Neji started mumbling something that vaguely sounded like an apology. "Why did you- Ughh," Shikamaru groaned again, rubbing his eyes as if this was a dream and he was trying to wake himself up. He sat straight up suddenly, frowning at Neji who was now standing at the foot of his bed, looking almost ashamed. "As much as I would just _love_ to take the guy I was just _making out with_ downstairs to meet my mother-" Speak of the devil; Shikamaru's name was shouted up the stairs once more. With a glance and a sigh, Shikamaru hauled himself out of bed and motioned Neji to follow him. Shikamaru dreaded every step he took closer to the kitchen where he could hear his mother going on about something already. She stopped almost immediately, much to his surprise, when she noticed they had a guest.

"Oh, I didn't know we had a visitor," she said, cocking her head at Neji. She looked expectant, like she wanted him to explain why he was here. He opened his mouth to say something to appease her but Shikamaru put a stop to whatever he was trying to say.

"Mom, he was just here about work and didn't know you get up at dawn."

"I didn't want to be a disturbance," Neji agreed.

"Well both of you sit, then. If you have another mission you'll need to get your energy up," she smiled, motioning with her hands, "Sit, sit. You don't have all morning, do you?"

Shikamaru almost chuckled over Neji's surprised look as he pulled out a seat. When his mother and father were both distracted, though, he elbowed Neji, giving him an incredulous look and mouthing '_mission_?' Discussing work didn't automatically mean a mission, Shikamaru thought. But he supposed it was the best cover they had. Neji did nothing but shrug and mouth back '_we'll figure it out_.'

"So how is your training going, Neji?" Yoshino chirped suddenly as she went about serving everyone their plates. Neji, again, was momentarily taken-aback.

Shikamaru wasn't too surprised by how off-put Neji was by his mother. Not just because his mother typically had that effect on people, but also because he doubted this was how people conversed with one another within the Hyuga compound. He momentarily found himself daydreaming about how things would go down if the situation were reversed and he was the one who found himself having breakfast with the Hyuga's.

"It's going well," he answered. He looked confused when she seemed to expect him to say more. Oh yeah, Shikamaru thought, Neji was not used to such friendly chitchat from his elders around the table.

"So," Shikamaru interjected, but his mother wasn't having it.

"Shikamaru! Let our guest speak! Don't be rude!"

Shikamaru huffed, slouching in his seat. Neji was wearing that smug look he had become so disgustingly fond of lately. It seemed like that was just the icebreaker to get Neji to relax, so at least there was that. The man that he had become progressively more attached to and his own mother bantered across the table using him as the punchline. And he couldn't even be mad. In fact, he had to resist the urge to smile at how Neji's shoulders had untensed. If he was at ease Shikamaru supposed he could allow it.

But Neji was the kind of person who could only keep polite chitchat up for so long before he was just over it. Small talk wasn't one of his fortes. Shikamaru always appreciated that. It made things easier. More profound, even.

When he noticed Neji was running out of ways to keep the conversation going he finally interposed.

"Neji, the time," he said, nodding curtly towards the clock on the wall. Neji followed along without missing a beat, barely paying a glance to the clock in question before nodding in response, standing and pushing in his chair silently.

"We _should_ get going, shouldn't we?"

Going along with their chosen concept, they got themselves put together quickly, responding to Shikamaru's mothers' well wishes as they were leaving. His father tipped his mug to his lips and watched them pointedly on their way out.

They avoided talking until they were out of site of the house. Once they finally were they sighed in unison, both bordering on out of breath. "That was… a lot," Shikamaru said. Neji gave him a look, "You think?" He shook his head, sighing again. Now that they were supposedly on a mission, what were they supposed to do for the next couple of hours? He really only had one idea in mind.

"Let's head to the training grounds. One of the out-of-the-way ones."

He couldn't help but be amused by Neji's surprised reaction. They took turns making the bold statements but Neji had really been on a roll with it lately. He looked pleasantly surprised, but just below the surface of that he looked hungry for him again, just like this morning. It was suddenly all Shikamaru could think about.

"Let's go," Neji countered, raising a brow confidently in a way that was so him. But Shikamaru had already decided it was his turn and he knew he had gotten that hint. So when he grabbed Neji's wrist and starting leading him in a new direction, he was met with no objections.

Maybe, sensibly speaking, they knew they couldn't spend a majority of their day making out. But in theory it sounded like the perfect plan, and right now it was the only thing of interest to them. One of Neji's preferred training spots was a ways away, isolated and quiet the way the Hyuga fancied. And perfect for keeping a secret a secret. Within minutes they were overcome by one another. Roaming hands and tiny little gasps fallen from parted lips clouded their minds. Shikamaru didn't typically like to wear his hair down because it was bothersome but he had learned he didn't mind so much as long as Neji's fingers were buried in the loose strands. Maybe it was his explementary chakra mastery or his excellent hand eye coordination—Shikamaru didn't know, but he was always surprised by how good Neji was with his hands. He felt confident that Neji felt the same about his. After all, he'd never seen the Hyuga in such a beautifully disheveled state.

Shikamaru had never known a god he believed in, but Neji Hyuga might just have been the closest comparison he could make.

Sudden shuffling from the foliage behind them interrupted the heaviest of their contact. Neji whipped his head up before Shikamaru could even breathe. His expression made Shikamaru dread who he would be face-to-face with if he turned around. But the hammering suspense in his chest gave him little choice. He glanced over his shoulder and he almost groaned aloud.

It could probably be worse, he reasoned with himself. But Sasuke still wasn't high on the list of people whose nose he wanted in his business.

Shocked couldn't even begin to describe the look Sasuke was sporting. He looked between the two of them wordlessly, absolutely baffled by what Shikamaru could admit must have been the last thing he had ever expected to see. He could feel the negative aura just pouring out of Neji; he didn't even need to look. He knew he had to be a barrier between what could have turned ugly.

"Sasuke," he said, eyes narrowed, "just walk away, alright?"

An awkward pause fell over them, heavy like a smoke screen, and Sasuke's expression softened into what Shikamaru could only label as a look of bewildered acceptance. He turned to walk away without a single word, but Neji chimed in with his own instructions.

"Only take away _one_ thing from this- You didn't see anything."

Sasuke only gave a thumbs up as he disappeared. He was either too shocked to construct a full reaction or he had decided he didn't care enough to question it. Either worked for Shikamaru and Neji. Sasuke, they knew, was far from a gossip, and that was as much comfort as they were going to get from the exchange.

The silence didn't dissipate once he was gone. And it was the most awkward one they had shared yet. Being caught off guard aside, they knew they had each been deathly serious about their words, and now they had to address the elephant in the room. But neither wanted to be the one to start that conversation: Why had they both reacted so aggressively? Why were they both so intimidated by their relations with each other that they had to become defensive? And what were they really if they themselves were guarding the information like some shameful little secret?

Neither of them were the type to beat around the bush. They had discovered that early on. If something was broken, that something needed fixed—or disposed of entirely—lest it cause them more trouble down the road.

So what in world had they been doing?

The reality hit them both like near-fatal blows; so hard that Shikamaru, though perfectly still, felt something akin to motion sickness. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

"Have we taken this too far?" Neji asked after their heartrates had had enough time to return to reasonable levels. Shikamaru shook his head, because he didn't know. He rested his head in his hands, ignoring the way his elbows dug into his thighs. It was too early in the day for so much to have happened.

"Look at me."

It wasn't a demand. It was almost a plea. As close as Neji could come to voicing one, anyway. So Shikamaru met his eyes, and he found there the exact emotions he was feeling inside: anxiety, fear, something similar to regret. The air between them was overwhelming, and for the first time, it wasn't in a good way.

"Neji," he said, "What.. Should we-"

"Not yet, Shikamaru."

And that was final. Shikamaru couldn't pretend like he was ready. He was thankful that Neji had found it in himself to come right out and sum up what they both felt in so few words. This place no longer felt welcoming, though, so they relocated. They found themselves on a wide creekbank basking on thick, flat rock. The sun filtered through the tree branches surrounding them, casting a warm light that would be tranquil under different circumstances. They had yet to speak again.

Shikamaru lied on the warm rock floor and stared up into oblivion, unable to even notice the clouds that normally held his attention so easily. Beside him Neji sat in his usual meditation stance, though he was in a very different kind of trance than mediation was meant to promote. They soaked up the others presence while they delayed what they believed was the inevitable. It was golden hour before they found enough combined strength to breach the subject.

"I don't know what I expected," Shikamaru chuckled, though it lacked any trace of actual humor. The bitter truth was that he was putting the blame squarely on himself. What in the world had possessed him to cling to the likes of Neji Hyuga, and how in either of their right minds had they thought this could end any way other than badly? For all their combined intelligence, this was how much common sense they apparently possessed, and Shikamaru was not impressed.

"I guess I somehow convinced myself that the consequences wouldn't catch up to us. At least not so soon."

Shikamaru couldn't disagree with his sentiment. He supposed he had managed to make himself believe the same. But you could only make so many impulsive decisions before they caught up to you. He looked up at Neji but his gaze was purposely avoided. The ache he felt in his chest was so sharp he almost winced. He momentarily felt like the air had been knocked out of him as Neji continued to stare off into the distance with an unreadable expression.

It was so sickeningly real. They both knew without even discussing it that things would never quite be the same. A line had been crossed, and there was no retracing their steps and forgetting the path they had gone down. They had become too invested in desires that they hadn't fully considered the costs of and now it was time to own up to them.

It was the only thing they could do at this point.

"I'm sorry," Shikamaru let out a long breath, rubbing his eyes until he felt disorientated, "I never should have dragged you into this."

"I made a choice the same as you did," Neji said.

But he still couldn't look at him.

They were dragging it out even now. They weren't ready to take responsibility for what they had gotten themselves into. Shikamaru, lazy and unmotivated as he might be, had never felt quite this irresponsible. He crossed his arms, shut his eyes and briefly dug his nails into the skin of his arm, willing the stinging behind his eyes to dispel. It was getting dark.

"Do you want a little distance?" Neji asked.

"No," Shikamaru replied without thinking. He frowned, "But maybe we both need it."

Another drawn out silence followed. The stalling was making it so much harder, though, and Neji conceded first. He finally looked at Shikamaru, and for a minute the magnetism between them had returned. Shikamaru could barely fight it, but he managed. Suddenly Neji stood. He looked down at him, offered his hand, then withdrew it when Shikamaru didn't take it.

"Are you going to stay here for a while longer?" he asked softly.

Shikamaru nodded weakly, putting his arms behind his head. The stone underneath him was chilly now and he had to repress the shiver that threatened to shake his whole body. "I just need a minute," he said, though he didn't know whether that minute would stretch to much longer. He just wasn't ready to officially face the mess he had gotten them both into. The longer he stayed here the longer he could pretend.

"Okay," Neji said, smiling a sad little smile. He had never looked so soft or so vulnerable, and Shikamaru's heart had never in his life ached like this. "Goodnight, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru could barely get out his response, "Goodnight, Neji."

He had only taken a few stops, not even up on the bank yet, before Shikamaru broke down and attempted to break the tension before they parted ways. "It's not like they're expecting an heir from you or anything, so at least we'd have that on our side." He knew Neji wouldn't take offense to him saying it. They had long since learned to find the humor in each other's snarky remarks. Finally, they both managed to crack hints of smiles.

"If only it were as simple as that," Neji mused, sounding almost hauntingly forlorn.

They had known this was coming all along. They just wanted to play pretend for as long as they could. They had been too hopeful. Childish, even. It wasn't like them. Both of them had been in a confusing place when this had all began, and now, at the end, it didn't feel like they had actually figured anything out at all. Except maybe how it felt to break up with someone you were never with.

It was poetic in a way. Shikamaru hadn't given much thought to the idea of poetry before this evening. Now he was pretty sure he hated it.

Neji said his goodbyes once more and took his leave. Shikamaru turned his eyes back to the calm water and mentally counted Neji's steps until he was gone for good. That's when the regret truly started to set in.

He allowed only a single moment of self-pity in the form of lone tear slipping from his left eye and burning down his cheek. He willed himself to not let his emotions overtake him, to steel himself and accept what had just happened. He had functioned just fine before this whole debacle so he should be able to function just fine in the aftermath. It had just been new and overwhelming and exciting, that's all. The curiosity and the hormones had gotten their way for a time but now it was time to lock all that back up. They had had their fun. They had gotten to experience this new thing they had both been craving. Now it was time to move on. After all, what were they _really_ losing given they had not been in love? He just hoped Neji could hold onto a fond memory or two from this whole experience, because Shikamaru knew he would cherish them all, even if he'd never say so.

Still though, he didn't feel quite okay. Over the crickets chirping and the water flowing, Shikamaru admitted his sins to nothing and no one in particular.

"God, I'm fucking stupid."


End file.
